15 Marketing Lessons for Your Job Search

Any job search is primarily an exercise in marketing. I thought that I would share 15 marketing lessons straight out of the marketeer’s playbook that are deeply relevant to the pursuit of a new career.

Tell the stories that your audience want to hear. Any candidate has multiple career success stories, so choose to tell the most relevant ones to your audience.

The marketing funnel rules them all. You need to apply to enough jobs to end up with a few offers. If you pin your hopes on one opportunity at a time, you may be looking for a while.

Stand by your values. You can’t be all things to all people. If you act like a chameleon in your job search, you might get a job that doesn’t suit you (and leave swiftly).

Video is the future of content marketing. You should think about recording a brief “video CV” sales pitch and putting it on your LinkedIn profile (made by a professional).

Social marketing lessons

Let your community do your selling for you. If you have built up a supportive social media network, allow them to be your advocates in your job search. One of the most important marketing lessons.

Keep it simple. If a potential employer reads your CV or LinkedIn profile and isn’t sure of the job you would be looking for, there is a problem. The right career stories will help.

Don’t be too narrow about your offering. Make sure that your social presence isn’t so limited that it may put off potential “left-field” employers. Be open to something different.

Seek to solve problems. View an interview as a Rubik’s cube. Twist and turn your job search story showing that you can solve each of your future employer’s problems. One by one.

Hashtags help to create a central hub for a brand campaign. If you have a lot of content that you would like to highlight in your job search, maybe consider making a hashtag for it?

Be honest. Important marketing lesson, this one. Never lie in your job search – in your CV or during an interview. It is a bad idea on so many levels. People can tell.

Stand out from the crowd. This is non-negotiable. You need to work out how to present your unique value so that you will be the number one candidate of choice.

Marketing choices

Sweat the small stuff. Sometimes you need to delve deep into the more minor issues before solutions to the significant issues come along. Seemingly insignificant job search doubts matter.

Connect with influencers. If you are connected with people who work with your target employer, don’t be shy to ask them for help or maybe a personal introduction.

Better thanked than ranked. Creating valuable industry content is as essential as raking highly on Google in marketing. Show employers that you are a person who seeks to contribute.

Evolve to survive. You will undergo considerable change as you progress through your career. Work out what needs to change for you to thrive in your next role.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).